"So this is the current Royal Battle Team? Except for that zither soul master, the others didn't even use more than their second soul skill, and the strongest, Yu Tianheng and Jun Tianlin didn't even reveal their first soul skill and still won easily. Very good." Emperor Xue Ye nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Meng Shenji and the others. "Esteemed Deans, thank you for training such outstanding children and bringing honor to our Empire."
Meng Shenji hurriedly bowed in thanks. "Your Majesty flatters us, I dare not claim the credit. During their usual time at the academy, it's always been Qin Ming, the Tiandou-level teacher, who trains them. I only provide some resources for the children."
"Oh, Qin Ming? If he can nurture such outstanding children, his strength shouldn't be weak either." Emperor Xue Ye's interest was piqued.
"Naturally. Young Qin is only thirty-four this year, but his soul power has already reached level sixty-eight. In about a year, he will advance to Soul Sage. Among the current records on the continent, except for the Pope of the Spirit Hall and the current master of the Clear Sky Sect, I fear none can surpass him."
"I dare assert, in as soon as twenty years or at most thirty, Qin Ming will surely break into the realm of Titled Douluo."
Meng Shenji was paving the way for Qin Ming's future—just as Tianlin hoped to draw Qin Ming into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Meng Shenji, loyal to the Royal Family, also hoped Qin Ming would officially join the Heaven Dou Empire.
That way, their Heaven Dou Empire could truly have a Titled Douluo of their own, rather than relying solely on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan for support.
"Hmm. After the competition, have this Teacher Qin come to see me. I want to personally reward him for his hard work for our Heaven Dou Royal Academy," Emperor Xue Ye ordered. While he may not be a legendary ruler, he at least had the grace to value talent. Besides, a future Titled Douluo was worth recruiting.
"Hmph!" On the side, Huyan Zhen, hearing Emperor Xue Ye and Meng Shenji repeatedly praise the Royal Battle Team and Qin Ming, angrily stood up and left without even a word of farewell.
Before Emperor Xue Ye, this was quite a rude act. However, although the Lower Four Clans siding with the Spirit Hall was not public knowledge, most of these powerful people were at least somewhat aware.
Nowadays, while the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire are not openly at odds, they are irreconcilable in private. With Huyan Zhen's backing from the Spirit Hall, all Emperor Xue Ye could do was feel displeased and angry—he couldn't do much else.
"The Lower Four Clans and the Spirit Hall—relations with the two great empires are getting worse and worse." Ning Fengzhi mused with his eyes closed. "The quieter the continent is now, the more violent the eventual eruption will be. When that happens, where will my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan go? After this tournament, it seems I must find time to discuss this with Tianlin."
As a clan master, Ning Fengzhi always considered the sect's development. Even when he chose to support the Heaven Dou Empire, it was only to use the nation's power to help his clan grow.
But, without realizing it, whenever he made a major decision, the first person he thought of had shifted from Chen Xin and Gu Rong to Tianlin—not because he trusted Tianlin more than the two Guardian Douluos, but rather because, Chen Xin and Gu Rong were good at fighting, when it came to plotting or using clever tricks, Tianlin was superior.
After their first victory, the Emperor Battle Team celebrated as they left the arena and happened to run into the defeated Elephant Armor Academy.
Huyan Li looked at Tianlin with resentment. Though he said nothing, Tianlin could see the hatred in his eyes. This guy had fully inherited his grandfather Huyan Zhen's hostility toward the Upper Three Clans. Members of the Elephant Armor Clan wore their emotions on their faces. Just as his grandfather had offended Emperor Xue Ye, Huyan Li's hatred for Tianlin was also openly displayed.
Was he afraid others wouldn't sense his hostility?
"Xiao Tian, that Huyan Li looks pissed at you. I can feel his emotions—he's full of indignation and anger," Skydream Ice Silkworm transmitted.
"Brother Skydream, while I don't have your ability to sense others' emotions, this big oaf's feelings are written all over his face. Anyone could see it. Anyway, the Elephant Armor Clan will be my enemy sooner or later, so I don't care," Tianlin replied nonchalantly. "But that soul bone on Huyan Li looks high-grade. Brother Skydream, you're knowledgeable—can you tell what kind of soul beast it's from, and how old it is?"
"Haha, you're asking the right person! Back in the day, I fled from the Extreme North to the ocean, and from the ocean back to the land. I've seen the whole world—there's no soul beast I haven't seen." Skydream Ice Silkworm boasted, making running for his life sound as refined as traveling.
"From the shape of Huyan Li's head bone, it should also come from an elephant-type soul beast. If I'm not mistaken, it must be the Emperor Golden Elephant. That's one of the top elephant-type beasts—amazing strength, invincible defense, gold attribute, not only immune to fire but can even restrain it. More importantly, Huyan Li's soul bone should be at least forty thousand years old. Among soul bones less than one hundred thousand years, it's top-tier."
"Forty-thousand-year Emperor Golden Elephant skull! That's a treasure. Should I save it for Gu Ran, or give it to Hongjun? Both Shi brothers have treated me well too—giving it to them wouldn't be bad." Tianlin pondered as he walked.
He had set his sights on this soul bone and was determined to get it. The best time would be during the soul-hunting operation.
Huyan Li suddenly felt a chill on his neck and a sense of dread. Could it be that exposing his soul bone today had attracted unwanted attention? He'd better hurry back to Huyan Zhen's side; otherwise, he wouldn't feel safe at all.
The soul fights continued. After the Emperor Battle Team's match ended, a few more matches followed. Godwind, Blazing Fire, and Thunder schools, as expected of veteran teams, all advanced easily.
Next, it was finally Shrek's turn. This time, the Grandmaster couldn't afford to hold back too much strength as in the original story, since their team only had three Soul Ancestors. If they couldn't secure a win, what use was it to hide trump cards?
So, except for Ning Rongrong, who was kept as a secret weapon, six of the Shrek Seven Monsters went up, with the support-type Jiangzhu replacing Rongrong.
Two Soul Ancestors and five high-level Soul Elders—among all the academies, this lineup wasn't bad. After all, the Five Elements Academies each had at least three Soul Ancestors. What was truly shocking was their age—they were all incredibly young, around thirteen or fourteen, with Dai Mubai, the oldest, only about seventeen. Such strength at such a young age!
If these guys were the same age as their opponents, even counting the Five Elements Academies, probably none could be sure of beating them.
Tianlin sat in the stands. Although he was a bit disappointed not to see his beloved Rongrong perform, it was fine—he could take this time to observe Ma Hongjun and Oscar's recent progress.